Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Monday, March 29, 2010

The embryologist report is in. Out of 24 eggs retrieved, 19 were mature, and 13 were fertilized! We'll hear from the embryologist again tomorrow morning to hear how our "cupcakes" are doing. We'll also find out if they plan on 3 day or 5 day transfer.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

I'm home from my egg retrieval. They collected 24 eggs of which 20 were mature. Unfortunately Hubby's "sample" had a low concentration so the embryologist suggested that we opt for ICSI to improve our chances of fertilization.

So now we wait for tomorrow's fertilization report.

The procedure itself went okay. Getting my IV was unfortunately not a painless procedure! The retrieval from the right ovary was no sweat. I felt a bit of pressure and that's it. The retrieval from the left was very uncomfortable. They gave me some more drugs to get through it.

Post retrieval I felt great (except for some cramping). I don't know if the recovery room nurse believed me though. The lady in the next bed was feeling nauseous and faint. I felt bad for her since she went in for her procedure before me, but I got to leave first.

Since I couldn't eat anything after midnight last night I was ravenous! The nurse had given me a few crackers to eat but it wasn't enough. Hubby and I went out for lunch (you know I was hungry since I went out in public with no makeup!).

I'm relaxing on the couch now. I still have some moderate cramping and I finally took some Tylenol.

BTW - If you're wondering what the photo is - that's me waiting for one of my dates with Wandy!

In a half hour we will be leaving to go to the Fertility Clinic for my egg retrieval. Hopefully this will be my last date with Wandy. On Friday night at midnight (or is it Saturday morning?) I gave myself the HCG trigger shot. Last night I had the best sleep that I've had since this all began thanks to the Valium that they gave me to take.

I'm not allowed any food except for clear liquids (I hope that green tea counts as a clear liquid 'cause that's what I'm drinking), I'm not allowed to wear make up (I cheated and put on mascara), and I'm not allowed to drive for 24 hours (but I'm planning to drive myself to work tomorrow morning).

I hope that we get at least 10 eggs to work with. The embryologist will call us tomorrow with the fertilization report.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

This morning was my 4th date with Wandy this week. Aren't you supposed to get a fancy dinner before your date gets any action? Wandy didn't even offer me a coffee! These early morning trysts have got to stop!

However I was happy that the RE on duty is the gentle one. The one who did my ultrasound yesterday (my own RE) was quite rough. It felt like she was shoving Wandy right up to my poor, aching ovaries. Today's test was much easier. Gentle RE has the magic touch.

Here are today's results:

Left ovary: Ready to go! Follicles look great and are an average size of 2.1cm

Right ovary: 10 follicles (up from 7), but lagging behind the left. Average size is only 1.6cm

The RE is waiting on today's blood test results before making any decisions. Yesterday my Estrogen level was 10,000! I don't know if I want it to shrink, stay the same, or go higher. I just want to trigger!

I should hear from the clinic around 11:30 (MST). Keep your fingers crossed that this is it.

Once again my day began with a date with Wandy. It will be so nice to be able to start a post with a different phrase. Yesterday while I was hoping to trigger, the RE said to come back one more time.

Today's results were very similar to yesterday. My left ovary has 10 really good follicles and 4 really small ones. My right ovary has 7 follicles of a decent size. The problem is that my left ovary is way ahead of my right ovary and they want the right to catch up.

When they checked my blood today (I'm starting to run out of "good" veins) my estrogen was over 10,000. They reduced my Gonal-F injection to only 75iU from 225iU - and I get to see Wandy again tomorrow! Hubby is starting to get jealous of all of the "action" that Wandy is getting from me.

So once again I ask you to please pray, cross your fingers, make a sacrifice, or whatever it is that you do - so that tomorrow they tell me that I can finally pull the trigger! If I do get to trigger tomorrow that would mean that I would go in on Sunday for the egg retrieval with possible embryo transfer on Wednesday or Friday of next week.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

After my birthday date with Wandy, they asked me to come back again today for another date. The magic has worn off though - I didn't shave my legs this time.

On Monday they told me that my follicles were measuring ahead of schedule. They gave me my prescription for the HCG "trigger" shot and everything. I was elated and was hopeful that today they would tell me to go ahead and pull the trigger! No such luck.

Apparently my estrogen levels were a little high on Monday so they wanted me to come in today to check them again. No trigger for me. I did get to see Wandy though. I have 10 follicles on one ovary and 8 on the other. They are averaging 15mm in size. Grow follies grow!

They want me to come back again tomorrow for another ultrasound and more bloodwork. Hopefully they'll want me to trigger tomorrow. I'm starting to get really uncomfortable. My ovaries are approximately the size of apples right now (they're normally the size of an almond) and they are pushing on my bladder. Do you have any idea how many times that I have peed today??

I just injected myself with the last of my Gonal F. If they don't tell me to trigger tomorrow I'll have to get a new one at the lovely cost of $450.

Monday, March 22, 2010

My birthday started out with a date with Wandy. I know that you're all jealous and wish that you could have a date with Wandy on your birthday too. Maybe if you ask your RE nicely they will accommodate you.

So far, so good. The Dr. said that I am progressing ahead of schedule. I have 7 follicles on my right ovary and 6 on my left. They were so big that even I could see them with my untrained eyes. The biggest ones were 14mm. They gave me my prescription for the HCG trigger which they will administer 30 hours before the egg retrieval. I take this as a great sign that we will be retrieving soon!

My next appointment is on Wednesday where they will take more blood and do another ultrasound. I'm really hoping that they have me do the trigger shot that night so we can do the retrieval on Friday. Keep your fingers crossed for me that my ovaries cooperate!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Welcome all visitors from IComLeavWe! This is my first time participating and I'm really excited.

This week catches me at a bit of a bad time however. You see I'm playing host to my friend's 15 year old daughter this weekend. As you are reading this there is a 90% chance that I am in a mall right now visiting stores that I never even knew existed.

Today I am on Day 6 of my IVF injections so I'm a tad bit hormonal and stressed out at the same time. There is also the possibility that this week I could go in for my egg retrieval! If that is the case, I will apologize in advance for falling behind in my own comments.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

This weekend has been a whirlwind of shopping malls and stores for women who don't have hips - i.e. I'm hanging out with 15 year old. There hasn't been a lot of time for me to be online, let alone update my blog. Mostly because my laptop has been taken over by said 15 year old!

The clinic nurse called me on Friday. She said that my blood work results were great. They're keeping me on the same dosages of the Gonal-F and Luveris. Monday morning I get to have my birthday date with Wandy to check on the progress of my follicles.

I'm happy to report that the near-constant hot flashes have subsided. I'm starting to feel a lot of twinges and pulling in my ovaries as well. I hope that this means that the follicles are getting bigger and bigger. It's hard to imagine that my ovaries will go from being the size of an almond to the size of a lemon (or orange!).

I highly doubt that you want to hear about my sore feet from all of the mall wanderings that I've been doing, so I will wait until Monday when I have some progress to report. By then Hubby and I will be back to being D.I.N.K.s and I will be done with the mall for a very long time!

Friday, March 19, 2010

I came across this great diagram that shows how an IVF cycle works. As you can see on Day 1 - we have our first date with Wandy and start our drugs. Days 7, 9, 11 are more dates with Wandy with egg retrieval at about day 13.

I went in to the RE's this morning for more bloodwork. The nurse said that they will most likely change my dosage of medication and to stay by the phone today. I'm scheduled to go back on Monday for another date with Wandy (which also happens to be my birthday). But she also said that depending on my hormone levels I may need to go in over the weekend.

This is no ordinary weekend for me though. I get to play "mom" this weekend to my friend's 15 year old daughter. They live in the North (for those of you in the USA - Canada has several levels of "north") and she wanted to come to the big city for her spring break. Between shopping and going to teen movies I will make the time for my injections and potentially a date with Wandy. Her visit also means that I won't be online as often. But I promise to update you all on any new developments!

So far my injections have gone really well. Yesterday I opted to inject myself in my thighs (they said any fatty area will do) and it went fairly well. I didn't even feel one of them! Maybe I'll try the other thigh tonight.

Hubby and I are also on antibiotics as a precaution. Unfortunately they aren't agreeing with him and are upsetting his stomach. I feel for him but since that is probably the only discomfort that he will feel during this process, I don't feel too badly for him.

After 3 days of injections I think that I'm starting to feel a little action in the ovary area. I feel the occasional twinge and I'm hopeful that it means that my follicles are growing big and strong. I'm not bloated - and I really hope that it stays that way.

I'm also starting to recognize some of the women in the RE's office. I wonder if any of us will be on the same timeline and end up doing our retrieval and transfers on the same day?

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Sure we've flirted before, but today was our first true "date". I know it was a date because I shaved my legs for the occasion. Of course I'm talking about Wandy. "Wandy" is the affectionate term that has been created for us Infertiles to refer to the probe on the ultrasound machine.

Today was the start of my relationship with Wandy. We're sure to see a lot of each other in the next month.

This morning I was back at the RE's for baseline bloodwork and ultrasound. Hubby came with me as we also had to have an injection lesson from the pharmacist.

My uterus lining looks "perfect" at 3mm. I have 7 small follicles on my right ovary and 5 on my left (or the other way around I can't remember anymore). I didn't know if they would see any follies since I've been taking suppression drugs for nearly 2 weeks now.

By 11am I got the call from the nurse. Everything looks great and I can start the injections today. They want me to do the injections between 1pm and 5pm each day. Hubby doesn't get home from work until closer to 6pm so I'm on my own.

Dear readers I have to tell you that I totally rocked my first injections! I had decided from the start that I had to be a big girl about this. Whenever I would get nervous I would think of the diabetic kids that I have known that do this every day. If they can do it for the rest of their lives, I can manage for 2 weeks.

I go back on Friday for another follow up and again on Monday for a "probing" (as Hubby calls it). Monday's probing - or as I prefer to call it - date with Wandy - will be special as it's also my b'day.

So if you're the praying type, please pray that this goes well for us. If you're not the praying type, can you cross your fingers or something for me?

I know several business owners who would love to post this in their offices! Each time a client complains to me about a pending maternity leave I joke and say: "maybe it's the chair. (Pause for effect) Can I have it?"

Thanks again to the great submitters at Engrish Funny for supplying me with a blog post!

Monday, March 15, 2010

While I'm not yet 100% ready to come out of the closet, this is pretty much what I look like - Old Navy style! Hubby doesn't think that it looks like me - my hair is a lot curlier than this. He does like the outfit though. I think that I may pick up the cardigan on the weekend.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Tonight before you go to bed, remember to set your clocks forward an hour for Daylight Saving's Time. That's right folks, you will lose an hour this weekend! This is the only time of the year when you can truthfully say "sorry, I ran out of time".

I grew up in Saskatchewan. One of the only places in the world (that I know of) that doesn't do Daylight Saving's Time. The time there, is the same year round. You see, DST was started during one of the wars (I don't know which one) to help preserve fuel (oil for lamps, electricity, etc.). When the war was over Saskatchewan said: "well, that was a pain in the ass. We're glad that's over" (or something like that). And we never touched the clocks again!

That is one thing that I actually miss from my home province. I think it's time that we all protest this loss of time and stop messing with our clocks. Do you know how many clocks I have? Do you? And just when I think I've found them all I find another one. Then in a couple of days I'll freak out because I'll be late for an appointment because the clock in my car will be wrong!

Once the time changes my family will be living in 4 separate time zones: EST, CST, MST, and PST. The only thing that would make it more confusing is if I had family in Newfoundland!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Today is CD 29. I'm approximately 16 DPO. There's no indication that AF is coming so why not test? So I did. Of course, it was a Big Fat Negative!

Before you say anything - I'm not upset. I fully expected to see a BFN when I tested. We were definitely living up to the "not trying" part of Not Trying, Not Preventing this cycle. I think it's evident that we needed a break from TTC as we literally only had sex once this cycle (that may be more information than you needed or that Hubby wants me to share).

Besides, I've been taking ovulation suppression drugs for 8 days now. My body thinks that it's going into menopause! I'm not surprised that my period is MIA. Or maybe I miscalculated when I ovulated - after all I wasn't taking my temperature this cycle.

I will need all your positive thoughts and prayers for the next few weeks as we begin our IVF cycle. I'm hopeful that this will be my last BFN ever!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The other day I wrote about 5 Things that I Hate. In that I included a reference about the Dutch. It surprised me that no one got the reference that I was quoting though. I don't want anyone to think that I actually hate the Dutch. I really, really don't! Honest! In reality I guess I only hate 4 things.

I was quoting Nigel Powers from the movie Goldmember. You must remember Goldmember!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

People who throw garbage and/or cigarettes out their car window. I mean really. Are you so important that you can't wait a few minutes to place it in a proper receptacle? Some days I really wish that I had the power to give out tickets.

When people make up their minds about something without really knowing what it is. For example a friend of mine "hates sushi". I asked her if she's ever had it - she said "no". I asked "how do you know if you hate it then?" She replied "well, I don't like raw fish". I said "not all 'sushi' is raw fish". And she said "well, I still don't like it".

Grocery shopping. It's crowded, it's expensive, I don't always remember to bring my own bags, then I have to bring it home and put it away. No thanks! Gosh I need a butler to do my chores.

Speaking of grocery shopping, I also hate it when the grocery store moves their product around. You know what I mean. For years they have the Shake N Bake in a certain location and then the next week it's missing! ~ AND ~

The Dutch. - Ok not really. Everyone that I've ever met from the Netherlands has always been very nice. (If you got the reference 5 points to you!)

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Have I ever told you that I'm a partial nerd? I don't quite meet the criteria to be a complete nerd as I've never played Dungeons and Dragons, read comic books, and I don't know how to play chess. I am quite willing to accept the fact that I do have some nerd-esque qualities though. Such as - I loved the British t.v. show Red Dwarf. Most of my readers are probably way too young to even know what in the science fiction I'm talking about.

Red Dwarf was on t.v. in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It took place 1 million years in the future in outer space. The main character (Dave) had been put into stasis (i.e. was cryogenically frozen) as a punishment until his ship returned from their mission. In the meantime there was a radiation leak on the ship that killed all of his fellow crewmen. The ship's computer kept them flying around in space and once it was safe, thawed him out - that took a million years. So basically he is literally the last human being (as we know it) left.

Each episode was a new adventure as they travelled through space trying to get back to Earth. Other characters include the ship's computer (Holly), a hologram of Dave's former bunk mate (Rimmer), and what evolved from his pet cat (Cat). Confused? Remember, this was late 1980s, British, Science Fiction, Comedy.

I promise you - I do have a point and I'm getting there. Patience.

One episode they came upon an abandoned research ship. When they looked around they realized that the scientists had discovered, and isolated, that luck was actually a virus. Ever wonder why some people have all the luck? It's simple - they are infected with the luck virus!

Wow, I can't believe it took me 4 paragraphs to get to my point.

I've been thinking, I need to find a way to get myself infected with the luck virus. I'm not sure how it's transmitted though. Is it airborne? Who do you know that is super lucky? I want to spend some quality time with them and hope that I can catch it. At this point I may be willing to plant a big wet one on his/her lips! I'm not greedy though - I'm not asking for so much luck that I win the lottery, I just need enough to make sure that our IVF works on our first try.

My Chart

Copyright - The Pregnant Yuppy

About Me

I first started this blog to record my thoughts during my first pregnancy in 2008. That's when I first became the "Pregnant Yuppy". Then after suffering a miscarriage and subsequent infertility this blog became my outlet to vent my frustrations while TTC as well as a place to connect with others who were having difficulty conceiving or who have also experienced a loss.
In March of 2010 we underwent IVF (in-vitro fertilization) that resulted in a successful pregnancy. In December 2010 our gorgeous son Nathan was born. And thus I became the "Yuppy Mom".
This journey has been long and I've learned a lot along the way.
Many of you have reached out to me via e-mail. Please note that I rarely check my inbox (like seriously, maybe every 6 months). It's best to add a comment.